ABRASIVE definition: any material or substance used for grinding, polishing, etc., as emery, pumice, or sandpaper. See examples of abrasive used in a sentence.

In short, the ceramics which are used to cut, grind and polish other softer materials are known as abrasives. Abrasives are extremely commonplace and are used very extensively in a wide variety of …

Both verbs come from abrādere, meaning "to remove by rubbing" or "to scrape off." Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More. The abrasive nature …

abrasive, sharp, hard material used to wear away the surface of softer, less resistant materials. Included within the term are both natural and synthetic substances, ranging from the relatively soft particles …

ABRASIVE definition: 1. rude and unfriendly: 2. An abrasive substance is slightly rough, and often used for cleaning….

An abrasive is a substance that is rough and can be used to clean hard surfaces. Avoid abrasives, which can damage the tiles.

Definition of abrasive adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Factsheet What does the word abrasive mean? There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the word abrasive. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Being rough and coarse in manner or disposition; causing irritation. [First attested in 1925.] An abrasive person can grate on one's sensibilities. Despite her proper upbringing, we found her manners to be …

Some 200 years later, the adjective form of the word — abrasive — came into use to describe a type of grinding tool. By the 1920s, abrasive had acquired the more figurative sense of annoying and …